Monterey County gets $3 million grant for gang prevention, job training

Monterey County’s Workforce Investment Board has received a $3 million grant for a new program that combined gang prevention with job training.

The agency is one of 11 organizations from around the nation to receive federal Workforce Innovation Fund grants to expand partnerships and target improvements in job training programs.

The county will use the money for a project with the Youth Ambassadors for Peace Program using economic opportunities to break the cycle of gangs and violence.

Through the Youth Ambassadors for Peace Program, the Monterey County Workforce Investment Board and its partners “will match targeted youth with an innovative approach and a comprehensive mix of services and community engagement to promote gang violence prevention as well as job training and employment. “

The federal grant will fund this program for five years, beginning November 1. The program will begin accepting students in about six months.